James Kirkup is The Telegraph's Executive Editor (Politics). He was previously the Telegraph's Political Editor and has worked at Westminster since 2001.

David Cameron's breadmaker joke fails to rise

David Cameron has just addressed workers at the Warburtons bread factory in Bolton. His opening gambit was to describe himself as "a bit of a traitor" because, he said, he has just bought a breadmaker. So far, the Conservative leader said, he'd only made "a bit of a mush" with it. As a result, it's back to buying loaves in shops.

If Mr Cameron thought a bit of self-deprecation would soften his audience up, he was disappointed. Grim faces all round, and a couple of Lancastrian mutterings to the effect that only Southern so-and-sos buy breadmakers.